Float thru an Amsterdam canal at night, drinking a beer and looking at light art?…read more Duh. FIVE STARS!

This festival takes place during the winter holiday season. I had really high expectations as it…read morehas been quite popular for a few years. I was told that there is a free boat tour where people line up in cues to get a ride, you can walk it along the canal edge, or you can do what we did and purchase a ticket online from "Those Dam Boat Guys". Personally, the later is great and well worth it. Our boat was small and gave us an intimate experience because the boat captain told us a little about the artistic lights and were could ask questions or slow down to take pictures. The lights are illuminated after dark which during the winter is quite early in the evening. Some of the lights were small displays and some were pretty magnificent. The whole festival takes less that 2 hours to view and it really is something to see both as a tourist or a local resident. I do suggest that the best viewing is when it is not a rainy evening so that you don't have an obstructed view from the boat.

This is known as the children's farm and it's kind of hidden. It took us a few extra minutes to…read morefind it than what our GPS described but it's a cute place. This little zoo is free, but I wished there was a donation box, because I would truly try to keep this place running. They had little ponies, pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, etc. and a playground outside for the kids to play in. Inside had turtles, gerbils, mice, etc. and activities for the kids to play, almost like a museum on the inside. It's a bit outdated but considering it's free, it was still really cute. My kids and I spent about 2 hours here before leaving and it was a great way to have my kids burn off some energy.

Roppongi is a popular neighborhood in Tokyo, with many nightclubs and loved by tourists and…read moreJapanese girls searching for foreign men. It is also a cute shop at the Rozengracht in Amsterdam. I've been to both actually, but today I will tell you about the shop in Amsterdam, because that information will probably be more of use to you since Tokyo is not exactly around the corner :) Roppongi is a nice place for Japan-lovers. They sell all kinds of fun stuff and a bit of food as well. The shop is colorful because of the prints on the walls and the paper lanterns hanging through the shop. The lanterns are funny, their mostly shaped like fish and very colorful and festive. You can buy them here as well. The other stuff they sell are books, clothing, bento boxes, Japanese foods, kitchen supplies for making sushi, tea pots, accessories, traditional sandals en much more. ' Prices aren't cheap but then again, there are not that many places where you can find these things. Maybe in Chinatown, but this is a nice shop and its fun to have a look around when in the neighborhood.

the vibes here were so nice and a welcome break from the bustle of europe, its funny they have a…read morebeta santa monica pier too

Love Scheveningen Beach!…read more But love it more and best place to be when you're in the Hague when the weather is perfect for outdoors! Which by the way, I finally experienced for 1 full week in the middle of June after having visited the Hague 3 times thus far this year. It's perfect for running either on the boardwalk or on the beach along the North Sea. However, if you do opt for a beach run, be prepared to trek lightly across a wide body of soft sand before getting to the wet-firm sand, otherwise you'll have loads of sand in your running shoes! I'd also suggest running in the early mornings so you can practically have the entire beach to yourself, including a view of the sun rising and if you are lucky, maybe even a view of a chariot rider with his/her horse galloping along, it makes the run that much more enjoyable IMO (coming from a person who has never lived in a town with an easily accessible beach)! Not only does this beach offer a scenic run, you can do lots of other outdoor activities (e.g., biking, rollerblading, kite surfing, fishing by the red & green lighthouses, beach volleyball, regular beach stuff, amusement rides on the pier) and plenty of dinning options literally right on the sand, with cabana-type patio seating. Weather permitting, I am totally visiting this beach again when I am in town!